Letters to the Editor
View(s):A major rethink is needed on how state institutions are run
We have always seen after a change of government new faces being appointed to corporations and other government-controlled agencies. The boards appointed must perform the tasks they are given and run the establishments efficiently. We don’t see these institutions being run profitably.
There are many reasons. The minister or the big shots behind the appointments provide lists of names to the boards to give them employment. Such political appointments must stop. All appointments or filling of vacancies must be after an advertisement and where necessary after a written test.
When appointing people to run these institutions it must be checked if they have qualifications in keeping with the mandate/s of the institution. They must be required to provide quarterly reports showing the profits or losses — if the latter, what steps are intended to be taken to arrest it.
It is a good idea to fill these boards from among senior public servants or recently retired senior public servants who had experience in the respective fields. This will prevent politicians appointing their henchmen to the Boards.
Recently President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that billions are wasted in CPC, CEB and Sri Lankan Airlines. Why not hold the members of the respective board/s accountable for these losses? Have they ever made proposals/reports to the respective ministers on how these institutions can be made profit-making or what must be done to curb these losses? Absence of such communications from the boards to the ministers is unacceptable. The ministers not checking what’s going on are all lapses on their part. Now we the public are called upon to stomach these losses through the increase in the prices of the supplies/services.
It was announced recently that the retirement age must be 60 for all public servants. Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksha was heard saying that retirees must not be appointed to the Bribery Commission (BC). This can be viewed in two ways. No public servant who has retired can be appointed to the BC. It can also be that any person who never held a public office qualifies irrespective of age. The minister must explain to the people what he meant.
Some Medical Specialists have taken the retirement age issue to the Supreme Court seeking that they must be permitted to work until they reach 63. This is a reasonable request considering the scarcity of Medical Specialists in the country.
When the retirement age is considered, we must look at the politicians too. Some of them are over 80. In our Constitution, the Article 170 Interpretation clause excludes politicians from the meaning of “Public Officer”. But they are performing public functions and receive a pension after five years in office whereas public officers must work for 20 years to qualify for a pension. Where is the justification? I see this as discrimination.
The pension rights of politicians must be removed. It must be stated that to qualify for a pension they too must hold office for an aggregate period of 20 years. Age limitation too must be imposed on the politicians, say at the time of contesting the person must be under 65 in age!
Hemal Perera Via email
Power games and the decline of our cricket
It is really saddening that the standard of the one game in this country that gained us world recognition, i.e. cricket, has declined to an unimaginable level. Yet, neither the administrators nor the players seem to take this seriously. For them it is only a source to gain much sought after recognition, also a source of income generation.
Losing the one-day series against New Zeeland has made it compulsory for Sri Lanka to play the qualifying round of the next 50-over World Cup to gain a place in the tournament proper. But, unlike previous occasions, this time there are much stronger teams facing the qualifying round to gain a place and it is not going to be easy for Sri Lanka, especially given the current form of the national players.
If Sri Lanka is unable to qualify, then this will be the first time since the 50-over World Cup began in 1975, that the country would not take part in the tournament, a situation, no true Sri Lankan would wish to see.
Up until the 1990’s, for ICC member countries having stronger cricket teams, matches against Sri Lanka were considered as practice matches. Thanks to the likes of Sanath Jayasuriya, Aravinda de Silva, Arjuna Ranatunga, Muttiah Muralidharan and Chaminda Vaas, this line of thinking was hit out of the ground, and the Sri Lanka team was considered as a force to be reckoned with.
We have come full circle. Now winning is the exception. Winning and losing is part of the game, but continuously losing in an ignominious manner cannot be accepted. Yet, it doesn’t seem that our administration or the players will learn a lesson from these setbacks. Cricket administrators including the selectors will conveniently remain in their seats for many more years to come, destroying the game beyond repair, if it has not already reached that state.
However much the Sports Minister desires, it seems he too could not take meaningful steps to clean the stable, the forces that penetrated into the system are too strong. In a country where the President of the Cricket Board who did a remarkable job in laying the foundation enabling us to win the World Cup in 1996 could not retain his post until at least the national team landed with the cup at the airport, one should not be surprised at the current state of affairs.
Nevertheless, it is high time that extremely tough, bold, more importantly appropriate decisions are taken to arrest this unbelievable decline. Sri Lanka is not short of talent, but the problem lies with those who hold positions, thus the power to decide the destiny of the game. The time has come to show these incapable, destructive elements with ulterior motives, the exit.
Deepal L. Bataduwa Arachchi Embuldeniya
Redemption
A mangled form from which
Blood merged with sweat
Did trickle down
Thongs that bruised the flesh
A sword that pierced the side
From whence the blood and water flowed
By blood reclaimed we could rise anew
As did Christ on Easter morn
Ah! but do we claim to be reclaimed
Or do we wallow still in sin and shame
Was his precious blood then shed in vain
For man who opts to remain unreclaimed.
Jeannette Cabraal Kelaniya
The charm of Kandy is still intact
I spent my childhood years from 1963 to 1976 in Kandy as a Dharmaraja College hosteller. Again, I spent two years working as an articled clerk at Thornton Panditharatne & Co. Chartered Accountants where I met my future wife Judith!
In January and February 2023 I was back in Kandy during my mother’s sickness and her passing away at KPH Resort Mahaiyawa.
I never felt a stranger as whenever I walked to Kandy Town I would invariably bump into a friend, some after 50 years! When I dropped into Samarasinghe Opticians at Queens Hotel my friend Janaka was so hospitable and most of the time Pradeep Ikiriwatte and Padmasiri Manamperi would drop in there as well and it was like we were back in Grade 3.
Ms Atigala, my 1965 English teacher who married Mr. Welagedara, my Grade 4 class master, too surprised me when she paid a visit to see Amma. Then my former Masters Bandara Weerasekara and Sirisoma now in retirement called me!
Among my many visitors was Mohideen bringing biryani and Raman, a Thai pongal treat to the hospital reminding me of the multicultural spirit we shared.
While walking down Dalada Veediya I meet my erstwhile Ranweli Holiday Village colleague K.N.G. Abeysinghe who is now managing Siri Ramya Restaurant. He offers me a lime juice and I ask in Ranweli parlance if he offers bird watching. He retorts with humour “Yes in the Kandy Lake”.
Paivas Tea room where my father and many other parents took us for a treat during term-ends and beginnings, still stands strong — my mother always yearned for an ice-cream topped with a wafer! Sadly the Silverdale owned by the family of late Gamini Dissanayake and family is no more.
Gunesena Bookshop is in the same place with much improvement and great service.
The charm of Kandy with its friendly people is intact with a great addition, the City Centre parking.
Oh Kandy!
Anil Ellepola Via email
Pera’s yellow blooms
I write in relation to the images published in the Sunday Times last Sunday with the caption “Asela trees in full bloom at Peradeniya University”. This caption is incorrect. It is not the trees that are in bloom, it is a creeper (vine) that covers the trees and produces yellow flowers. The creeper is known as Cat’s Claw (scientific name Dolichandra unguis-cati).
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=cat%27s+claw+plant
The name “Asela” is also wrong – presumably you mean “Ehala” (Cassia).
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=Golden+cassia
As seen from the link, this is an entirely different species.
D. Mendis Via email
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